Hey Deacon!

Last week I touched on the topic “Are you saved?’ To summarize the Catholic response to this question, we respond like St. Paul, “that I am working out my salvation day by day”. Another more catechetical response would be "Through the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I have been saved, am being saved, and hope to be saved’. This acknowledges the past, present, and future aspects of salvation. Our Catholic theology emphasizes that salvation is a process involving God’s grace and human cooperation. It’s really not that complicated, however, we often fail in communicating our belief.
 
This week I continue the ‘salvation’ discussion on why we need to be saved and what the Church teaches regarding God’s biblical plan of salvation.
 
The Church understands that we are all sinners in need of a savior (Rom 5:12-21). We are inheritors of original sin and all of its consequences, and by actual sin we distance ourselves from God. We can’t save ourselves and we don’t need to.  Jesus paid the price for our sins. We are reminded of this sacrifice at every Catholic Mass.  The Catholic Church teaches that salvation comes through Jesus alone (Acts 4:12), since he is the “one mediator between God and man” (1 Tm 2:5-6).
 
The saving grace won by Jesus is offered as a free gift to us, accessible through repentance, faith, and baptism. We turn away from our sins, we are sorry for them, and we believe in Jesus Christ and the gospel. Our repentance shows our willingness to turn from things that keep us from God.  Our baptism renews us, filling us with the grace necessary to have faith and to live it. This belief is more than just “head knowledge.” Even the demons recognize Jesus as the Son of God and acknowledge His authority (Mk 1:24, James 2:19). It’s more than just believing you’re saved.  True, saving faith is one lived and exhibited daily: It is “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6, Jas 2:1-26).
 
Sometimes the Church is accused of teaching “salvation by works,” but this is an empty accusation. This idea has been consistently condemned by the Church. Good works are required by God because he requires obedience to his commands (Mt 6:1-21, 1 Cor 3:8, 13-15) and promises to reward us with eternal life if we obey (Mt 25:34-40, Rom 2:6-7, Gal 6:6-10 just to name a few). But even our obedience is impossible without God’s grace; even our good works are God’s gift (Rom 5:5, Phil 2:13) which is an important point for all Christians to appreciate. 
 
“For God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
 
This is the real biblical plan of salvation – a central tenant of our Catholic faith.

Author Bio:
 Deacon Dan Vaughn